Unlike Rabbi Baksht, Rabbi Wolf does substantial local fundraising.  However, he said, he had foreseen the current economic crisis and reduced his 2008-2009 (Jewish year 5769) budget by 60 percent after Rosh Hashanah.  Chabad is now spending $360,000 less per month in Odesa than it did in 5768.  He closed several ancillary buildings and made significant changes in the Chabad newspaper; it is now printed in black and white, rather than color, and its length has been reduced from 20 pages per issue to eight pages.  The number of copies mailed to local Jews has been reduced from 15,000 to 5,000. 

Having lost significant funding for his day schools due to the reduction in both Heftzibah and Ohr Avner funding, Rabbi Wolf increased tuition for pupils and limited the availability of free transportation.  He also reduced the length of the school day by two hours (from 8:00 – 5:00 to 8:00-3:00), ended the provision of afternoon snacks, and reduced the salaries of some teachers.[28]  Rabbi Wolf spoke proudly of his new university program, which currently enrolls 50 young people.[29] 

International Organizations

17. Yaffik Zarka, Director of the Jewish Agency for Israel representative office in Odesa, was attending a JAFI staff meeting in St. Petersburg during the time of the writer’s visit to Odesa.  In her absence, the writer met with other JAFI staff members.  The Odesa representation supervises locally-run offices in Nikolayev, Kherson, and Izmail.

The Jewish Agency believes that 25,000 individuals in the Odesa region are eligible for aliyah (emigration to Israel) under provisions of the Israeli Law of Return;[30]  14,000 of these 25,000 live in Odesa, and the remainder reside in other cities and towns of the region.  More than 100 people emigrated to Israel in 2008, and a larger number is anticipated in 2009.  The most important factor in generating aliyah, said JAFI staff members, is the economic situation in Ukraine.  Reflecting greater economic stress in smaller cities, aliyah is highest from these areas.  The Jewish Agency offers a number of different settlement programs in Israel, including urban and kibbutz absorption, professional programs (for specific groups, such as nurses or engineers), and programs for high school and university students. 

The Education Department of JAFI in Odessa operates 18 Hebrew-language ulpans, said Education director Yulya Fischer.  Fifty-five youngsters are enrolled in a JAFI Sunday school in Odesa, and JAFI also sponsors student clubs in three cities, youth clubs in two cities, and summer and winter camps.  About 400 youngsters and students attended camps in 2008, said Ms. Fischer.[31]  Additionally, said Ms. Fischer, 63 young people participated in Limmud programs and 50 went to Israel on Taglit (birthright) trips.  The Russian-language distance-learning courses of the Open University of Israel have attracted 172 participants during the current academic year, said Ms. Fischer, but the future of this program is in jeopardy because the philanthropic foundation of its principal benefactor was heavily invested in funds managed by Bernard Madoff.  Ms. Fischer commented that many students cannot afford to purchase textbooks for their Open University courses, which usually cost $5.00 per copy; each course, she said, requires four to ten books.

In addition to education programs, JAFI in Odessa also operates a number of clubs, such as one focusing on Israeli literature in Russian translation and another exploring Jewish tradition.  JAFI also sponsors a cinema club, a family club, a children’s song and dance group, and clubs exploring aliyah and absorption possibilities.  All JAFI programs are enduring severe financial pressure as the Jewish Agency seeks to trim budgets during in the current economic environment.

18.  Funded by Nativ, an Israeli government entity with close ties to Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman,[32] the Israel Culture Center operates alongside the Israel Consulate General in Odesa.  Its financial support assured by Mr. Lieberman’s enhanced status in the Netanyahu government, the Israel Culture Center intends to expand its cultural offerings, in part by bringing more Israeli artists to Odesa for performances.  Shlomo Ben-Tzvi, the Israel Consul in Odesa, said that the Israel Culture Center also would expand its youth activities by establishing groups in Ukraine similar to the Israeli Scout organization, and would continue to offer a variety of clubs for different segments of the Odesa Jewish population.  Nativ offers Hebrew ulpan classes free of charge, whereas financial constraints force the Jewish Agency to require fees for enrollment in ulpans.

19.  The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee maintains its Odesa office in a residential building.  No signs on the exterior of the building or inside its entrance denote its presence.  In response to the writer’s comments on this subject, Irina Zborovskaya, a local woman who is Executive Director of Joint in Odessa, said that the office is registered with government authorities as a person, not as an organization.  Status as an individual entitles Joint to a substantial discount – “at least 50 percent” – on utilities and to a privileged position regarding the frequency of government inspections concerning taxes and other matters.  Ms. Zborovskaya continued that JDC owns the apartment, which is a formal communal living space.  The apartment directly above JDC premises is occupied by three or four families.  It is possible, commented Ms. Zborovskaya, that Joint might register as an organization in the future, depending on evolving advantages and disadvantages regarding ownership status.

Ms. Zborovskaya estimated that 35,000 to 45,000 Jews live in Odesa, and that another 40,000 reside in other areas supervised by the Odesa office (Crimea, Nikolayev, Kherson).  Within Odesa itself, she continued, it is likely that 8,000 to 9,000 Jews are elderly; approximately 7,200 elderly Jews receive JDC services.  A high mortality rate has led to progressively fewer older Jews from year to year, observed Ms. Zborovskaya.  However, due to financial constraints, the level of services provided is decreasing even more rapidly than the number of elderly Jews remaining.  The primary service component, she said, is issuance of smart cards, which can be used in specific chains of supermarkets and pharmacies for discounted pricing.  Approximately 5,000 clients currently have such cards, a number that is decreasing from year to year as Joint’s financial resources are less and less sufficient to cover the discounts enjoyed by clients.

It is increasingly expensive to serve smaller Jewish population centers outside Odesa, Ms. Zborovskaya commented, because too few Jews remain in these cities and towns to achieve any economies of scale.  Younger Jews are either assimilating or leaving; therefore, all assistance must come from outside.

The current inflation rate in Odesa is 22 percent, said Ms. Zborovskaya in response to the writer’s question.  The largest component affecting Joint in inflation, she continued, is the price of medicine, which has increased 100 to 400 percent in the last year.  Almost all medicine is imported and thus has become vastly more expensive as the Ukrainian hryvnia has lost value.  Anticipating even further currency devaluation, merchants raise prices ahead of actual exchange rate fluctuations.  Therefore, saidMs. Zborovskaya, people are unable to pur-chase medicine and become even more dependent on the hesed.

 Irina Zborovskaya is Executive Director of JDC in the Odesa area.  Anatoly Kesselman is Director of the JDC hesed (welfare center) in Odesa.

 Photo: the writer.

Ms. Zborovskaya believes that the economic crisis is still in its initial stage and that conditions will deteriorate even further.  Salaries are being paid late, and unemployment is increasing.  Several banks have closed, leaving depositors with no way of recovering their funds.  Stores and markets also have closed because merchants are unable to obtain credit for the purchase of goods.  Odesa, she said, always has been a strong tourist destination, but fewer visitors are expected in a time of economic stringency.

In response to a question about JDC services for children, Ms. Zborovskaya said that the SOS program provides food parcels to a number of needy families and that the Beitenu program for at-risk children operates in several cities and towns.  She also mentioned children’s programs at the Migdal Jewish community center[33] and spoke with pride about the Montessori daycare program for upscale families that will open soon at Beit Grand.[34]  The daycare program does not require children to be halachically Jewish, she said, so it does not compete with preschool programs sponsored by local rabbis.  Joint hopes to groom the parents of daycare children as leaders of the Jewish community, stated Ms. Zborovskaya.

Ms. Zborovskaya’s priorities for additional funding cover four specific areas.  First, she said, she would like to address the nutrition and pharmaceutical needs of elderly Jews who were not victims of the Nazis; Nazi victims receive financial support from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, whereas non-victims receive no such support.  Pensions do not cover ordinary nutrition and pharmaceutical needs, and JDC cannot afford to provide non-victims with the food and medicine that are covered by the Claims Conference funds.  Second, she would like to find another sponsor for programs enhancing the lives of the Jewish special-needs population.  A bank previously supported computer classes and social activities for this group, said Ms. Zborovskaya, but financial problems forced it to withdraw this assistance.  Third, she would like to build a comprehensive leadership development program.  Fourth, she would like to expand a program of family summer retreats that are held on the Black Sea coast.  About 350 families (one parent and one child) participated in one of six such retreats, each convening for seven days at a Black Sea resort.  However, said Ms. Zborovskaya, rental fees for such properties are increasingly expensive; families pay about 30 percent of the cost for the week-long session, and few can afford to pay additional amounts.  The retreats offer informal Jewish education for parents and for children (separately and together), leadership development components for adults, and recreational activities.

A sister-city relationship exists between Odesa and Baltimore.  The Baltimore Jewish federation (The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore), has sent several missions to Odesa, said Ms. Zborovskaya, and exchanges have occurred between Hillel and young leadership groups in the two cities.  Some Jewish community professionals from Odesa have visited Baltimore Jewish institutions.

20.  Anatoly Kesselman directs Shaarei Tzion (Gates of Zion), the JDC hesed, which is based on the ground floor of Beit Grand.  Mr. Kesselman said that the hesed serves 7,200 clients, of whom 6,659 reside in Odesa.  The remaining 541 clients live in 77 towns, many of which are very small villages (месточки) in Odesa region.  Sixty-seven percent of hesed clients, he said, are between the ages of 61 and 80,[35] and 16 percent are older than 80.  Fifty-five percent of hesed clients qualify as Nazi victims and thus receive enhanced hesed services funded by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany; five years ago, said Mr. Kesselman, 65 percent were Nazi victims.  World War II veterans receive substantial pension bonuses from the state, but these may be reduced as the government faces budget shortfalls.  Additional outside funding comes from ICHEIC (International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims), the Swiss Holocaust Fund, and several other Holocaust-related organizations.

The minimum pension, Mr. Kesselman noted, is $77 to $80 per month, which barely covers utilities and cannot support an adequate diet or purchase of basic medicines.  Seventy-one percent of hesed clients are mobile, said Mr. Kesselman, and 28 percent have limited mobility.  One and one-half percent are homebound.  A major problem is loneliness; most clients live alone and many have no family in the city.

As noted, the largest single hesed program is the provision of smart cards to approximately 5,000 clients for use in obtaining discounts in specific chains of supermarkets and pharmacies.  The hesed also provides home care to a large number of homebound clients, employing 140 workers in this program.  Additionally, the hesed supplies linens, food, nursing care and some medicines to hospitalized individuals.[36]  Some hesed clients with sewing skills, said Mr. Kesselman, make bed linens for hesed use, thus reducing costs for this service.

A hesed day center program accommodates about 300 clients, each of whom comes to the hesed twice monthly.  Minibuses pick up the clients at their homes and return them at the end of the day; while at the hesed, they enjoy a hot meal, various activities, and socializing, and also obtain basic medical care.  Additionally, the hesed sponsors several clubs for seniors, including one focusing on Yiddish and another for military veterans.

The hesed also operates six warm homes, one of which is for righteous gentiles, said Mr. Kesselman.  Each warm home group includes 10 to 15 individuals from a specific neighborhood and comparable education/work background; they meet several times each month in the apartment of one of the participants for socializing, discussions, occasional visits by health professionals, and light refreshments.[37]

Hesed services for children include Mazel Tov and Beitenu (both operated by the Migdal Jewish Community Center) and food parcels for needy families.  The hesed also provides some medicines for children with chronic health conditions and assists child invalids.

In response to a question, Mr. Kesselman said that the hesed and Jewish Healthcare International work as partners in several Odesa projects.  A JHI delegation is due in Odesa in May, he noted; they will consult with local physicians and will organize seminars that will be attended by local doctors, including some from the region outside Odesa.

Mr. Kesselman expressed pessimism about raising funds locally to support hesed services.  Many businesses, including Jewish-owned businesses, are experiencing financial difficulties, he said; further, local people are unable to withdraw funds from Odesa banks, many of which are illiquid.  All Jewish institutions are having financial difficulties, he commented.

Dnipropetrovsk

Founded in 1778 on the banks of the Dnipr River, Dnipropetrovsk was known until 1926 as Ekaterinoslav in honor of Catherine II (Catherine the Great) whose troops conquered the territory. As the Soviet Union consolidated its power in the 1920’s, place names associated with the tsarist period were changed to reflect Communist control.[38]  Currently the third largest city in Ukraine, following Kyiv and Kharkiv, the population of Dnipropetrovsk is slightly over one million. It was a closed city until mid-1990 due to its extensive military industry, particularly Yuzhmash, a producer of intercontinental ballistic missiles, booster rockets, and related products.

This March 2009 photo of Dnipropetrovsk shows the circus at bottom left, new apartment buildings, and the Dnipr River.

Photo: Pavel Pavlovich Mamenko, http://gorod.dp.ua/photo/best.php.

Retrieved April 28, 2009.

Dnipropetrovsk continues to be a center of heavy industry, hosting factories producing cast iron, rolled metal, pipes, mining and agricultural machinery, large appliances, and transportation equipment.  Other prominent industries in the city include food processing and apparel manufacture, the latter for European firms.  Notwithstanding the current economic crisis that affects the local economy, just as it affects the remainder of the country, Dnipropetrovsk remains a relatively wealthy city in Ukraine.[39]

Historically, the city has been an important source of leadership for the former Soviet Union and for post-Soviet Ukraine. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Valery Pustovoitenko, and former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma all spent significant portions of their careers in important leadership positions in the city.  Yulia Tymoshenko, the current Prime Minister of Ukraine, is a native of Dnipropetrovsk.

Jews have lived in the region of Ekaterinoslav, part of the old Pale of Settlement, since the late eighteenth century. By 1897, the Jewish population of Ekaterinoslav had reached 41,240, more than one-third of the population of the entire city at that time.  Pogroms occurred in 1881, 1882, and 1905; the last was the most devastating, killing 97 and wounding more than 100 people. Prior to the consolidation of Soviet authority in the 1920’s, the Jewish community was highly organized, maintaining a diverse network of Jewish religious, educational, and cultural institutions.   It was an important center of both Zionism and the Chabad movement. A small Karaite community had its own prayer house.

Eighteen years after the demise of the Soviet Union, Dnipropetrovsk is once again an important center of both Zionism and the Chabad movement. The State of Israel has a strong image in the city, reflecting substantial emigration from the city to Israel, continuing bonds between local Jews and their family members and friends in Israel, the presence of many Israelis as teachers and other community professionals, a stream of capable shlichim (emissaries) of Israeli organizations -  the Jewish Agency, the Joint Distribution Committee,  and Nativ (formerly Lishkat Hakesher) - and the pro-Israel views of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki. Regularly scheduled commercial air service connects Dnipropetrovsk and Ben Gurion airport in Israel. Estimates of the current Jewish population of Dnipropetrovsk range from 25,000 to 40,000; it is the second largest Jewish population center in Ukraine, surpassed only by Kyiv.

Dnipropetrovsk is the center of the Chabad movement in Ukraine. Honoring the historic presence of Chabad in the city that continued into the 1930’s, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson appointed Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki to the post of Chief Rabbi of Dnipropetrovsk in 1990. Rabbi Kaminezki is widely recognized as the most effective large-city community rabbi in all of the post-Soviet successor states.

21.  The major Jewish discussion topic in contemporary Dnipropetrovsk is the construction of the almost 43,000-square meter Menorah Center, a seven-tower complex designed to look like a menorah that will surround the existing Chabad Golden Rose choral synagogue on three sides.  Financed entirely by Hennadiy Boholubov, co-principal of PrivatBank and lay President of the Philanthropic Fund of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish Community (Благотворительный фонд Днепропетровского еврейского общины), which supports Chabad interests in the city, construction is proceeding apace on the complex.  Completion and occupancy is schedule for 2011.  Mr. Boholubov has pledged to fund both the construction and outfitting of the Center.

The Menorah Center will accommodate a Holocaust and Jewish history museum (including a conference hall for 800 people), hotel and youth hostel, 33 apartments for Israeli community professionals, a kosher restaurant, a large social hall, a number of community center programs, Hillel, the hesed, classrooms, and office space for the well-organized Dnipropetrovsk Chabad community.  A significant portion of the development will be rented to commer-cial concerns; their rental payments are expected to cover some of the operating costs of the complex.

An architectural representation shows a night view of the Golden Rose Choral Synagogue (white-pillared building) surrounded by the seven structures of the Menorah Center. 

 Photo: Chabad of Dnipropetrovsk.